Pavement Condition Monitoring System at Shanghai Pudong International Airport

An online monitoring system was recently built to acquire the inner condition and response of the runway pavement at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Seven sections were instrumented to detect the responses of pavement when aircraft were taking off, landing, and taxiing. Sensors used in the system include strain gauges, multi-depth deflect to meters, temperature sensors, earth pressure cells, moisture sensors and three laser distance sensors for aircraft position. Most of the sensors are fiber-optic Bragg grating-based sensors, and some are electronic signal-based sensors used to improve the reliability and variety of the data. Instruments are divided into dynamic and static parts, which are aimed at measuring pavement responses caused by aircraft load and environmental influence. The instruments are all fiber optic cable connected within the airport area for radio frequency control. This paper presents: (1) the layout of sensors; (2) verification tests of the instruments; (3) process of installation; (4) method of data collection; and (5) initial responses test of pavement.